Your Own Arms

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Engraving by Ian Grant Actual size about 1½ x 2" (4 x 5cm)

Application for a Grant of Arms

In our links page we include some useful website addresses for those who would like more information about heraldry and those who may consider applying for their own arms.
The Scottish Heraldry Society explains in detail who may apply for a Grant of Arms and how it is done.

In short, those who are entitled to apply include:

Any person of Scottish ancestry who lives in the UK or the British Commonwealth.

Any person, anywhere in the world who can establish an ancestor or living relation in Scotland with a Grant of Arms may apply for "cadet matriculation".

If no one in your family has or had a coat of arms, but you have a living relation in Scotland who makes a successful application, you may then apply for cadet matriculation. It is necessary for the applicant to show their place within the family and in our links page we include links to a genealogy resource which may be of help.

An application for arms will normally include a motto and when considering the motto there are some practical considerations to bear in mind. If you plan to have your crest and motto engraved on a cap badge or signet ring that may not be possible if the motto is too long, or may add considerably to the cost. For example, to keep the cost of the armiger's cap badge down we have moulds from which we cast the feathers and the circlet on which the motto is engraved the crest is mounted. However, if the motto exceeds 18 characters, including spaces, it is not possible to use that cast circlet, because we cannot engrave on it. In this case we will make up the circlet from scratch and, because the cast feathers will not match the circlet, we must make these up too. The additional time this takes adds about 50% to the cost of that item.